Two-sheet stop-feed detector means.



M. A. DROITCOUR.

TWO SHEET STOP FEED DETECTOR MEANS.

APPLXCATION FILED HIV/4,1916.

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

UNITEB STATE Parana orrrce.

MICHAEL ANDREW DROI'I'COUR, OF DELPHOS, OHIO.

TWO-SHEET STOP-FEED DETECTOR MEANS.

Application filed May 4, 1916.

1 'u all whom it may concern:

lle it known that l, Micnanr. Axonnw Dnorrcoru, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Delphos, in the county of \"an 'ert and State of Ohio. have invented a certain new and useful Two-Sheet Stop- Feed Detector Means; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in th art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an automatic multiple-sheet stop-feed means for use in connection with any mechanism to which sheets of paper are intermittently fed, as, for instance, a printing press, folding machine, etc.

In separating paper for feeding to any mechanism for operating thereon it sometimes occuls that two sheets or more will be advanced in place of one, audit is the object of my invention to provide an improved means of simple and efficient construction for detecting such multiple feeding of sheets and effecting an automatic stopping of the associated mechanism.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while in its broader aspect it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a sheet feeding mechanism equipped with my detector means with the parts of the latter in normal position. Fig. 2- is a side elevation thereof with the sheet-coact ins part of the detector means moved from normal position. Fig. 3 is a section on the line w-m in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 is a plan of the spaced electric terminals or contacts of the detector means. r 2

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates one of the tape wheel shafts of a sheet feedingmechanism, said shaft having sets of tape wheels 2 and 3 thereon around which respective sheet-advancing tapes 4 and 5 eX tend. In advance and above the plane of the shaft 1 is lo :ated a stationary bar 6, which is mounted in. any suitable manner transversely of the direction of feed of the sheets by the tapes 4 and 5.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ta ched thereto.

Patented Mar. 13,

Serial No. 95,384.

Projecting from the rod 6 toward the shaft 1, but in a plane over the same, are two arms 7 and 8 disposed side by sidc with the arm 7 fixedly carried by the rod and the arm 8 loosely carried thereby. The arm 7 has a part 9 projecting transversely therefrom beneath the arm 8 adjacent to its outer end and forming an anvil on which the arm 8 is adapted to loosely rest.

The arm 8 carries a block 10 on its top side, and mounted on this block are two electrical contacts 11. 11, disposed in spaced relation and each having a lead. wire. 12 at- The lead wires 12 are in circuit with any suitable electrically operated stopmeans for the mechanism, with which the detector means is associated. 11s numerous types of such electrically operated stop means have been used'and are well known in the art it is not thought necessary to illustrate the same herein. ltlounted over the contacts 11, 11 for movements into and out of circuit closingcontact therewith is a pole-piece or sv-xitch part 1?), which is car ried, in the. present instance, by the finger 14, which projects transversely from the upper end of-a vertieally-disposed lever 15 that is fulcrumed to the free end of the arm 8. as at 16. The pole-piece 13, in the present instance, is loosely mounted on the. lower end of a bolt 17 which is pendantlv carried by the free end portion of the finger 14. and a coiled compression spring 18 is disposed between the pole-piece and finger to yieldingly retain them in spaced relation.

The lower arm of the lever 15, which is the detector member of the device, is disposed over one of the tape wheels 2 and terminates at its lower end in a segmental foot piece 19, the arc of which is preferably concentric to the swinging axis of the lever. A coiled contractile spring 20, in the present instance. connects a pin or projection 21 on the fixed arm 7 with a pin or projection 2'2 on the upper arm of the lever 15 and serves to yieldingly retain the lever 15 in substantially upright position with the pole piece 13 in circuit closing contact with the contacts 11. A pin 23 on the outer end of the arm 7 coacts with thelower arm of the lever 15 to limit the spring-influenced movements thereof.

In adjusting my detector means for use after the parts thereof have been assembled as above described, 'the arm 7 is adjusted on the rod 6 so that the anvil 9 will have cally permanent for the running of different jobs having the sheets thereof of different thicknessfit being only necessary for the operator before running a job to tear a piece from one of the sheets a thereof and place it between the anvil 9 and arm 3, said piece being designated 24 thus raising the detector part if a distance above. the tape i equal tb the thickness of the sheet plus the'fractioual thickness of the sheet for which the' parts are permanently set. it is now apparent that when the feeding mechanism is in operation 'a single sheet of a thickness for which the detector means has been adjusted will pass freely under the shoe 19 without contact therewith, or at least sutlicient contact therewith, to eifect a swinging thereof, and that should two or more sheets be fed at a time the combined thickness thereof will be greater than the space between the tape i and the detector part 19, so that the upper sheet will frictionally coact' with the lower segmental surface of the part 19 and cause a swinging of the lower end of the lever in the direction of feed of the sheets and aga nst the tension of the spring 20, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The swinging of the lever 15 in this manner causes a raising of the pole-piece or switch member 13 from bridging contact with the contacts 11, thus breaking the electrical circuit in which said contacts are disposed and effecting a stopping of the running of the mechanism by reason of the breaking of the electric circuit controlling the running thereof, as is well understood in the art.

I am aware-that it has been common to provide a screw-gage, or micrometer adjustment in connection with a detector means of the class described to permit the detector means to be adjusted to the thickness of the paper that is being run. In all cases, however, of which I am aware, it is necessary for the operator to manipulate the screwgage or micrometer adjustment to suit the thickness of the sheets being run, thereby requiring for each job a very delicate ad-- justment on the part of the operator, which adjustment is dittieult to make unless the operator has had considerable experience in such connection. For instance, if sheets .005 of an inch in thickness were to be run, the detector means would be set so that the free space between the tape and the detector member of the mechanism would be .005 of an inch plus a fraction of the thickness of the sheet, thus allowing one sheet to freely pass between the detector member and feed tape without operating the former, but preventing two or more sheets from passing therebetween without causing a movement of the detector member and a subsequent throwing off or stopping of the mechanism.

It will be apparent that with my improved detector means no delicate adjustment of the same is necessary on the part of the operator after it has been initially set, as it is only necessary for him to insert a small piece ll of the paper to be run between the anvil 0 and arm 8 to thus eifect an accurate adjustmentof the parts in a quick and simple manner to suit the thickness of the sheets to be run.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of .the parts as it is capable of num rous modifications without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what -I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

1. The combination with means over which sheets are fed, of avertically movable member, a detector part movably carried by said member, an element for limiting the lowering movements of said member and 00- operating therewith to support the detector part in such relation to said'means as to provide a predetermined minimum spacing between said means and part, said spacing being increased a predetermined extent by inserting a piece of a sheet to be run between the coacting stop parts of said member and element whereby the feeding of two or more sheets in superimposed order over said means will cause a movement of said detector part relative to said member, and means actuated to break an electric circuit when said detector part is moved by the passage of sheets thereunder.

2. In combination a stationary part having an anvil, a vertically movable member adapted to rest on and having its lowering movements limited by said anvil, an electric switch, a detector part swingingly carried by said member and having connection with the movable member of the switch, sheet-advancing means disposed inpredetermined spaced subjacent relation to said detector part whereby a switch opening movement will be imparted to the detector part by the passage of a sheet between it and said means and be prevented, unless more than one. sheet is fed, by the insertion of a piece of a sheet to be fed between said anvil and member.

3. In a detector mechanism of the class described, in combination, a stationary part. a vertically movable member having its low cring movements limited by said part, a

detector part movably carried by said memher, an electric circuit-breaking element car- 13.

ried by said detector part and sheet-advancin means disposed below the detector part whereby the advancing movement of a sheet between said means and detector part in coaction with the latter will move said latter to impart a circuit breaking movement tosaidelement, the spacing of said means and detector part being varied by inserting spacing members of different thickness between said stationary part and member.

4. In a detector mechanism of the class described, in combination, an adjustable stationary part, a vertically movable member having its lowering movements limited'by said part, a detector part movably carried by said member, an electric circuit-breaking element carried, by said detector part and sheet-mlvancing means disposed below the detector part whereby the advancing movement of a sheet between said means and de-, tector part in coaction with the latter will move said latter to impart a circuit breaking movement to said element, the spacing of said means and detector part being varied by inserting spacing members of different. thickness between said stationary part and member.

5. In a. detector mechanism of the class described, a sheet-advancing means, a movable member supported above said means at a distance less than the thickness of a sheet, an electric switch having connection with and operated by said member, a movable support for said member, a limiting stop for coacting with said support to determine the spacing of said advancing imeans and movable member, and a spacing part of -a thick ness substantially equal to the thickness of the sheets to be run inserted between said support and stop, whereby said member is moved when more than one sheet is fed at a time between said.member and advancing means.

(S. In a detector mechanism of the class described, asheet-advancing means, a member movably supported above said means and movable by the passage of a plurality of sheets together over said'means, said member and means having an initial spacing less than the thickness of a'sheet, an electric switch operable by the movement of said member a movable support mova-bly carry-- said member, a stop cooperating with said support to determine the initial spacing of said member and means, and a spacing part of predetermined thickness removably inserted between said support and stop to increase the spacing of said member and means a sufficient extent to permit one but not two sheets to pass therebetween without swingingly moving said member.

8. In a detector mechanism of the class described, a sheet-advancing means, a member supported for substantially horizontal movements above said means and movable by the advancing of sheets over said means, an electric switch operated by sheet-actuated move.. ments ofsaid member, a vertically movable support for said member, a stop coacting with said support to normally support said member in predetermined relation to said means and a spacing part of predetermined thickness removably inserted between said support and stop whereby said member and means are spaced to permit one but not two sheets of predetermined thickness to pass therebetween without moving said member."

9. In a detector mechanism of the class described, a sheet-advancing means, a member swingingly supported above said means and having swinging movements imparted thereto by the advancing of a plurality of sheets over said means, an electric switch operated by sheet-actuated movements of said'member, a vertically movable support for said member, an adjustable stop for said support, and a spacing part of predetermined thickness removably inserted between said support and stop and cooperating therewith to provide a spacing bet een said member and means which is equal to the thick ness of the sheets to be run plus a fractional part thereof, whereby one but not two sheets will pass between the member and support without moving 'tlTe former.

10. In a detector mechanism of the class described, ashcet-advancing means, a member swingingly supported above said means and normally maintaining one position with respect thereto, said member and means having a predetermined initial spacing, an electric switch having connection with and be ing opened by abnormal movements of said member, a vertically movable support for said member, a stop cooperating with said support to determine the initial spacing of said member and means, a spacing part of a thickness equal to the thickness of a sheet to 129 be run removably inserted between said support and stop .to cooperate therewith to increase the spacing between said member and means a predetermined extent. I 1

11. In a detector mechanism of the class described, a sheet-mivancing means, a member swingingly supported above said means,

a movable support for said member, a stop cooperating with said support to support said member in predetermined relation to 130 said means, an electric switch ,ea rled by said support and operated to break circuit by a sheet-actuated movement of said member, means yieldingly retaining said member in one position ol: its movement with respect to said support, a spacing part of a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of a sheet to be run inserted between said stop and sup port to increase the spacing between said member and means a predetermined extent whereby one but not two sheets of a thickness for which the mechanism is set will pass between said means and member without moving the latter.

12. In a detector mechanism of the class described, a sheet-advancing means, a member swingingly supported above said means, an electric switch having a part carried by said member and movable to open the switch circuit by sheet-actuated movements of said member, a vertically movable arm carrying said switch and member, an adjustable stop for supporting said arm and coacting therewith to maintain said member in predetermined spaced relation to said means, and a spacing part consisting of a piece of a sheet to berun inserted between said stop and arm to increase the spacing between said member and means a corresponding extent, whereby one but not two sheets of a thickness for which the mechanism is set will be permitted to pass between vsaid member and means without imparting switch opening movements to said member.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

MICHAEL ANDREW DROITCOUR. 

